An example of Siemens' photo-realistic Cinematic image reconstruction. This image is from a CTA exam from a Siemens Force CT scanner.

Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is a quick video example of a cardiac computed tomography (CT) exam showing a Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device implanted. The image was reconstructed using Canon Medical’s Global Illumination photo-realistic rendering advanced visualization post-processing software. Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is an example of an automated calcium scoring software to speed review of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans. This advanced visualization software from Ziosoft uses artificial intelligence to segment the coronary vessels, identify valves and the aorta and then color code tag the calcium deposits and quantify the amount of calcified plaque in each vessel. It tallies the score into a table and computes an overall Agatston risk score. This risk score correlates to that patient's risk for a heart attack in the future. The software notes calcium in the heart outside the coronaries in valve leaflets and the aorta, but excludes this data. This type of automation is now offered by most advanced visualization and CT system vendors. This automation can save a large amount of post-processing time and make it easier for hospitals to offer low-cost CAC CT screening programs.

CAC scans can be used to determine if a patient needs to go on statin therapy. An Agatston score of zero means the patient has no risk of coronary disease.

Calcium in arteries is a marker for damage caused by vessel wall inflammation from atherosclerosis. Calcium can form from previously ruptured necrotic, lipid core plaques, also referred to as vulnerable plaques. These are the types of plaque responsible for heart attacks. When the core of these plaques rupture, the blood reacts to the exposed core similar to a wound and begins to clot, forming a thrombus in the vessel, which can block the blood flow. When the vessel heals over time it calcifies, leaving behind an easily identifiable marker on CT imaging.

With Intellispace Enterprise Edition as the foundation, Philips Healthcare is connecting facilities and service areas within enterprises, while developing standards-based interoperability that preserves customers' investments and best of breed systems.

In this video, Meraj discuss a complex coronary intervention of a 77-year-old woman with stage 4 CKD, prior CABG, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, who presented with angina and NSTEMI with an ejection fraction of 40 percent. The team at Northwell consulted with cardiac surgeons and the heart team, and determined that this patient was too high risk for another bypass surgery. Read more on this case.

Anderson discusses improving outcomes for patients in cardiogenic shock through the early use of mechanical circulatory support and the development of a shock protocol with the heart team. He outlines Hackensack University Medical Center’s multi-disciplinary, heart team approach in treatment decision-making for patients in cardiogenic shock. The team includes cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists, heart failure specialists and intensivists.

An example of Siemens' photo-realistic Cinematic image reconstruction. This image is from a CTA exam from a Siemens Force CT scanner.

Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is a quick video example of a cardiac computed tomography (CT) exam showing a Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device implanted. The image was reconstructed using Canon Medical’s Global Illumination photo-realistic rendering advanced visualization post-processing software. Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is an example of an automated calcium scoring software to speed review of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans. This advanced visualization software from Ziosoft uses artificial intelligence to segment the coronary vessels, identify valves and the aorta and then color code tag the calcium deposits and quantify the amount of calcified plaque in each vessel. It tallies the score into a table and computes an overall Agatston risk score. This risk score correlates to that patient's risk for a heart attack in the future. The software notes calcium in the heart outside the coronaries in valve leaflets and the aorta, but excludes this data. This type of automation is now offered by most advanced visualization and CT system vendors. This automation can save a large amount of post-processing time and make it easier for hospitals to offer low-cost CAC CT screening programs.

CAC scans can be used to determine if a patient needs to go on statin therapy. An Agatston score of zero means the patient has no risk of coronary disease.

Calcium in arteries is a marker for damage caused by vessel wall inflammation from atherosclerosis. Calcium can form from previously ruptured necrotic, lipid core plaques, also referred to as vulnerable plaques. These are the types of plaque responsible for heart attacks. When the core of these plaques rupture, the blood reacts to the exposed core similar to a wound and begins to clot, forming a thrombus in the vessel, which can block the blood flow. When the vessel heals over time it calcifies, leaving behind an easily identifiable marker on CT imaging.

This is an example of in-stent restenosis shown using spectral CT imaging. This example was demonstrated by Philips Healthcare at the 2019 meeting of the Society Of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT). It can sometimes be difficult to determine if showing inside a stent of CT is artifact or real. Spectral CT can definitely help make a diagnosis. This example shows Philips’ Effective Z visualization, where the image is created based on the atomic number of the elements present in the image. After removal of iodine from the image, it shows the shadow in the stent has the same atomic composition as the vessel intima.

This example is from a Philips IQon dual-energy CT scanner. This system has spectral imaging always on without any need to change protocols. This allows the spectral to be used when needed for additional information without need to rescan a patient.

The trial showed the Abbott MitraClip can be used to help large numbers of patients with heart failure who experience increasing levels of mitral valve regurgitation due to the enlargement of their hearts.

Thomas Porter, M.D., FASE, the Theordore F. Hubbard Distinguished Chair of Cardiology and a professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, explains a new study on how cardiac ultrasound imaging combined with bubble contrast was able to break down blood clots and restore blood flow to blocked vessels in STEMI heart attack patients. He gave an update on this new potential therapeutic direction for ultrasound at the 2019 American Society Of Echocardiography (ASE) meeting.

The Brazilian study used this approach in about 100 ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and was recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). Porter said about 50 percent of patients had their ST resolved by the time they made it to the cath lab for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Two more studies in Amsterdam and Pittsburgh are now starting to see if this technique can be used while transporting patients in an ambulance to further improve heart attack outcomes and to reduce infarct size.

Porter also explains recent research that shows ultrasound pulses promote ATP and nitric acid production, which have a lasting beneficial effect on small vessel perfusion in the area treated and down stream for hours after the use of the transducer.

This is a walk through of the primary structural heart hybrid cath lab at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich. It is the hospital's newest lab and is centered around a Philips Azurion angiography system, which is a low dose imaging system that significantly reduces dose exposure compared to previous generation systems. As seen in the video, the lab is also equipped with a vascular access ultrasound system, transesophageal echo (TEE) system, an Abiomed Impella console, a large number of storage cabinets, surgical lighting for cases that convert over to open surgery or for transapical TAVR access, movable radiation shielding and ample space to accommodate surgical equipment and extra staff involved in structural heart procedures. There also is an electrosurgical cutter unit in the lab, which Henry Ford operators use to perform transcaval access TAVR procedures for patients who have anatomical challenges to the femoral access route.

An example of Siemens' photo-realistic Cinematic image reconstruction. This image is from a CTA exam from a Siemens Force CT scanner.

Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is a quick video example of a cardiac computed tomography (CT) exam showing a Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device implanted. The image was reconstructed using Canon Medical’s Global Illumination photo-realistic rendering advanced visualization post-processing software. Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is an example of an automated calcium scoring software to speed review of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans. This advanced visualization software from Ziosoft uses artificial intelligence to segment the coronary vessels, identify valves and the aorta and then color code tag the calcium deposits and quantify the amount of calcified plaque in each vessel. It tallies the score into a table and computes an overall Agatston risk score. This risk score correlates to that patient's risk for a heart attack in the future. The software notes calcium in the heart outside the coronaries in valve leaflets and the aorta, but excludes this data. This type of automation is now offered by most advanced visualization and CT system vendors. This automation can save a large amount of post-processing time and make it easier for hospitals to offer low-cost CAC CT screening programs.

CAC scans can be used to determine if a patient needs to go on statin therapy. An Agatston score of zero means the patient has no risk of coronary disease.

Calcium in arteries is a marker for damage caused by vessel wall inflammation from atherosclerosis. Calcium can form from previously ruptured necrotic, lipid core plaques, also referred to as vulnerable plaques. These are the types of plaque responsible for heart attacks. When the core of these plaques rupture, the blood reacts to the exposed core similar to a wound and begins to clot, forming a thrombus in the vessel, which can block the blood flow. When the vessel heals over time it calcifies, leaving behind an easily identifiable marker on CT imaging.

This is an example of in-stent restenosis shown using spectral CT imaging. This example was demonstrated by Philips Healthcare at the 2019 meeting of the Society Of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT). It can sometimes be difficult to determine if showing inside a stent of CT is artifact or real. Spectral CT can definitely help make a diagnosis. This example shows Philips’ Effective Z visualization, where the image is created based on the atomic number of the elements present in the image. After removal of iodine from the image, it shows the shadow in the stent has the same atomic composition as the vessel intima.

This example is from a Philips IQon dual-energy CT scanner. This system has spectral imaging always on without any need to change protocols. This allows the spectral to be used when needed for additional information without need to rescan a patient.

This is an example of an automated calcium scoring software to speed review of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans. This advanced visualization software from Ziosoft uses artificial intelligence to segment the coronary vessels, identify valves and the aorta and then color code tag the calcium deposits and quantify the amount of calcified plaque in each vessel. It tallies the score into a table and computes an overall Agatston risk score. This risk score correlates to that patient's risk for a heart attack in the future. The software notes calcium in the heart outside the coronaries in valve leaflets and the aorta, but excludes this data. This type of automation is now offered by most advanced visualization and CT system vendors. This automation can save a large amount of post-processing time and make it easier for hospitals to offer low-cost CAC CT screening programs.

CAC scans can be used to determine if a patient needs to go on statin therapy. An Agatston score of zero means the patient has no risk of coronary disease.

Calcium in arteries is a marker for damage caused by vessel wall inflammation from atherosclerosis. Calcium can form from previously ruptured necrotic, lipid core plaques, also referred to as vulnerable plaques. These are the types of plaque responsible for heart attacks. When the core of these plaques rupture, the blood reacts to the exposed core similar to a wound and begins to clot, forming a thrombus in the vessel, which can block the blood flow. When the vessel heals over time it calcifies, leaving behind an easily identifiable marker on CT imaging.

Arthur Agatston, M.D., clinical professor of medicine, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, is the name-sake of the Agatston score used in CT calcium scoring. He explains the history of the scoring system from the early 1990s and the evolution of CT technology for cardiac imaging. The latest American Heart Association (AHA) 2018 cholesterol guidelines now include the use of CT calcium scoring, which was a big topic at the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) 2019 meeting.

Federico Asch, M.D., FASE, director of cardiac imaging research and director of the cardiovascular imaging lab, MedStar Health Research Institute, Washington, D.C., spoke about the cardiovascular impact of chagas disease and the symptoms that should be considered for patients who are from, or visited, South or Central America. He spoke on the topic at the 2019 American Society Of Echocardiography (ASE) meeting.

Pierre Qian, MBBS, cardiac electrophysiologist fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital, explains how his facility is working with radiation oncology to use radio therapy to noninvasively ablate ventricular tachycardia (VT). He spoke on this topics during a joint electrophysiology session by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) at the SCCT 2019 meeting.

This video offers an overview of the Watchman left atrial appendage (LAA) occluder system, including information of its design, implantation and clinical data supporting its use. Catheter-based LAA occlusion is used to seal off the LAA in the heart, which is the source of most stroke-causing clots in patients with atrial fibrillation (Afib). The device be used in place of anticoagulation therapy for stroke prevention.

An example of Siemens' photo-realistic Cinematic image reconstruction. This image is from a CTA exam from a Siemens Force CT scanner.

Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is a quick video example of a cardiac computed tomography (CT) exam showing a Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) device implanted. The image was reconstructed using Canon Medical’s Global Illumination photo-realistic rendering advanced visualization post-processing software. Vendors who offer this realistic type of CT image rendering say it is not used for diagnostics. However, the technology can be helpful when explaining things to the patient and their family, educating physicians and staff, and for surgeons, since it offers a realistic view of the anatomy that is easier for most people to understand who are not familiar with cardiac anatomy as it appears in traditional CT multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) images.

This is an example of a cardiac echocardiography exam performed using an iPhone and the Butterfly IQ ultrasound transducer and app. The company is exhibiting at the American Society Of Echocardiography (ASE) 2019 meeting. This is the first “ultrasound system on a chip.” The Butterfly IQ ultrasound system consists of a transducer that connects to an iPhone or iPad to record ultrasound exams. The system has 18 different applications for specialized images, including cardiac imaging, vascular, lung, abdominal and others. The apps allow for quantification and offers many of the features of larger cart-based systems. The company is working on incorporating artificial intelligence technologies to automate some processes, such as auto ejection fractions.